Maya Rudolph: ‘Up All Night role not based on Oprah Winfrey’

Maya Rudolph has denied that her Up All Night character Ava is based on Oprah Winfrey.

The actress commented that there are very few similarities between her famed Saturday Night Live impression of Winfrey and Up All Night’s self-assured Ava.

She told Access Hollywood, “People always think I’m doing Oprah, I guess because I did Oprah on [Saturday Night Live].”

Rudolph also admitted that she doesn’t believe she could ever handle being a real-life talkshow host.

“You definitely have to have [gumption] to be a talkshow host,” she said. “I don’t think I could personally pull it off being myself. I’m sort of infusing Ava with this regalness that I think is fun to play.”